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#1 Posted : 13 April 2001 20:16:00(UTC)
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Posted By Dawn Ingham I have been asked to draw up a Company Car Safety Policy and have a few pointers to go from. As this one seems to be popping up more and more often, it's obviously good practice to set one up. Can anyone let me know if they have prepared one and if so, what has been included. I work for a firm of Loss Adjusters with drivers all over the place at various claim locations all the time. They have to carry certain items in their cars for their job - camera, torch, warm clothing etc. In addition, they have to carry fluorescent jackets, hard hats, steel toe capped wellingtons and first aid kits - I am trying to convince my MDs that these last 4 items are PPE and so should be paid for by the company under PPE regs, and not paid for by or charged to the employee. Can anyone confirm this also - it is going to be included in the Policy. I appreciate your replies. Thank you. Dawn
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#2 Posted : 15 April 2001 17:31:00(UTC)
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Posted By Ian Waldram I presume you've actually been asked to draw up something which includes the "Company Rules" in relation to driving cars, not just a one-line policy statement. If I'm right, I strongly suggest that you start with a formal risk assessment (eg using the HSE 5-steps model), completed by a representative group of those involved. If you do this you'll find that all the relevant 'rules' will come up as potential controls in response to the identified hazards. What is 'reasonable' in response to those hazards can be discussed and (hopefully!) agreed by the group, rather than being 'imposed' by you, the person who drafts the policy. For example, you will clearly expect people to obey the Highway Code, as a basic control in response to the general 'hazards of the road'. You will also identify hazards relating to not having a valid licence, lack of maintenance, excessive hours, lack of familiarity with a hired vehicle, etc. I think you'll find that this appraoch, which clearly links 'the controls/rules' with specific hazards, will make the resultant Policy easily accepted by drivers, though possibly some managers will have problems with some new controls with which they will be involved - like excessive hours limits, monitoring their people's compliance from time to time, etc.
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#3 Posted : 15 April 2001 19:21:00(UTC)
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Posted By Dawn Ingham Thank you Ian, yes, it is a Policy rather than just a Statement I have been asked to drawn up. I feel that even after the risk assessment has been done, things may be missed' by the representative group (all company car drivers themselves) and I need a check list of my own to prompt the group discussion. So far (some of which incl. in your recommendations): test drive of vehicle prior to handover of keys; adherence to highway code; valid driving licence (with copies provided annually); drive according to road conditions; maintenance, incl. valeting on departure from the company; planning journeys to take into account required breaks for long mileage/excessive hours - and taking those breaks; Calling office on arrival at and departure from destination (for safety reasons); Must not drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol; Must not drive if so advised by medical advisor; Any other checklist items would be helpful.
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#4 Posted : 16 April 2001 00:48:00(UTC)
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Posted By Mark Stirling I have just finished reading a book "Road Craft" this is a book that the Police ues as part of there training. It has more information about road saftey and the law than any other book. It can be found at any good book shop or just ask at the police station near you. I hope this can help you. regards, Mark Stirling.
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#5 Posted : 17 April 2001 08:22:00(UTC)
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Posted By Neil Budworth Dawn, I've just E mailed you with the policy and discussion document that I have used previously. There is also a discussion document available on the managment of Occupational Road Risk from the HSE website. Good Luck with it Best Regards Neil
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#6 Posted : 24 April 2001 17:41:00(UTC)
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Posted By Merv Newman Dawn, if you need any more advice, talk to Du Pont head office at stevenage - they won the safe driver of the year award a couple of times - until their safety coordinator Ron Stevenson was killed in a car accident. Merv Newman
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#7 Posted : 11 May 2001 16:57:00(UTC)
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Posted By Jay Joshi "Managing Occupational Road Risk"-The ROSPA Guide is one of the most comprehensive guidance documents on this topic.
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#8 Posted : 06 July 2001 12:45:00(UTC)
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Posted By Frank Cooper Dawn, You have obviously had a lot of good advice so far regarding a policy for company car drivers. However, policies are fine but they do need supporting with sound advice and even a little bribery.It is no use just laying down a set of rules for people to comply with, you need to explain why they need to comply and what the benefits are! For example, Vauxhall Fleet Marketing used to publish a useful guide for drivers called Drive for Safety which contained a lot of sound information. Do not forget the lady driver either. Again Vauxhall used to prouce a publication called Women at the Wheel aimed at lady drivers and the Suzy Lamplugh trust also provides advice on this subject. As to the bribery bit, find out if your firm will sponsor people to take the Advanced Driving Test - it all helps with road safety. Have a look at the RoSPA site for additional info. Hope this helps, Frank Cooper
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#9 Posted : 12 July 2001 09:14:00(UTC)
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Posted By Bryan Owen I'd agree with the jist of what's been said already. But as no-one's mentioned PPE, I thought I'd talk about that. There is the legal duty for an employer not to charge for any PPE that is required to carry out work. This is given under the HSW Act '74. You would need to assess the risks faced by your employees, (MHSWR '92) to enable you to determine what PPE is generally required. Then you would need to assess the suitability of the PPE proposed inorder that it does the job your risk assessment wants it to do (PPE Regs '92) This would certainly cover your heard hat, wellies, and coat, but not your first aid kit. However, it is also a legal duty to ensure proper first aid provision for your employees. Now this could be in the form of a first aid kit, or a mobile phone to call for an ambulance, etc. Hopes this helps.
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#10 Posted : 14 July 2001 16:55:00(UTC)
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Posted By Dawn Ingham Thanks for your comments Bryan (Owen). In discussions with various people, there seems to be a school of thought which says that waterproof trousers should also be provided to our employees out on the road, to go with the waterproof jacket, to prevent any 'flu or similar (or worse?) occurring as a result of a drenching. I am not so sure about this, although our employees do get called out to inspect flood damage. Anyone with any clearer views?
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